Wander
by Sora Tsuiki
Summary: I had nowhere to return to anymore, and while I didn't regret my actions I couldn't help but fear that I might regret leaving. Still, there was nothing else to do but follow the sun and wherever that leads me, even if it's to this weird thing called the Hunter Exams. Well, what do I have to lose other than my pride, anyway? OCx?


**I was bored, what can I say? Sue me. Might write this on the side if there is interest.**

 ***Don't Own HunterxHunter***

The day they had decided to begin their impetus was hot, hotter than most standards in this country. It had started off as a slow rising, lazy sweep of warmth that tickled your skin before bursting outwards with intensity that could surely burn if it were corporeal. And, while the sun was higher in the sky than what I was born to and smaller according to the measurements against my hand, the temperature at least reminded me of home.

I wasn't exactly sure how to feel about that, after all I _had_ left the place.

But with heat came comfort I hadn't known I needed and confidence I previously thought I had unending dunes of, so maybe thankfulness wasn't as misplaced as I was hoping.

Compared to most of my current company, I was small and different and _weak_. At least that was what they had all said, like it was a plague upon the air they breathed. I didn't think any of those things were necessarily bad, but if home had anything to show me, it was that I definitely had differences in opinion with the general populace concerning many things.

I almost wanted to wince at the memory, but pride held my chin strong.

The roaring need to prove the people who called me weak wrong and make them sour from that wrongness had risen inside me like a righteous dragon. My tumultuously seething annoyance at being brushed off and looked down upon still broiled in my belly and such emotions tended to override any common sense within me.

If not for my upbringing, I'm sure I would have started a brawl then and there, making as scene. In fact, if I hadn't already learned from my previous mistakes I was positive that I'd be sporting some sort of battle scars. Victorious or licking my wounds in defeat was another story, but I sure as hell wouldn't take anything lying down anymore, but perhaps some of my people's—another flinch, that I attempted to hide by cracking my neck—teachings of subtle and steady attack had stuck with me.

I suppose that's how I arrived here, in the heated forest where the tree canopies blocked out most of the sun's rays to instead box us in a green warmth that baked the air.

They said those that passed this thing were strong and seen as amazing people. I'd pass this stupid thing just to prove them wrong in spite of them and then spit at their feet to seal the deal. There was no greater offense than being looked down upon, but there was also no greater revenge than proving them wrong.

I chuckled gleefully just imagining their faces only to scowl when two men shoved by me, shoulders almost bruising into my temple.

My eyes narrowed minutely, sight going red, as the group wove through the trees together like a disjointed jack rattler snake from the desert. Only, you'd never find one of those in this land.

Another pang of loneliness and regret that I hastily smothered with an inaudible growl and I stomped forward. It was four hours into the damned test and there was no sign of the end, not that I was tired. In the desert we had to walk for days on end in the blistering sun to find an oasis to settle next to. When the pool dried up, it was back to walking.

"Why do you want to be a hunter?" a voice suddenly asked from behind me. I didn't think it was meant for me until more people passed by, red-faced and heaving, and the question was posed again.

I blinked at the question, turning to stare at the young man behind me. He had a face that you could easily trust with a smile that almost brought tears to my eyes it flashed so bright. He was the first to talk to me since the task began, and while it took longer than other contestants, I preened at the attention and social contact within my mind.

I didn't realize I stopped walking, but I had and so had he. I also didn't realize I was staring at him, an action that I presume lead to his nervous chuckle and equally nervous scratching through wavy brown hair.

I supposed I must look intimidating with only my eyes and sunburnt cheeks shown to the world. People here just weren't used to it, I guess.

I brushed the pad of my finger over the cloth hung loosely around my head and the scarf over my nose and mouth. Briefly scanning over his own naked features, all tanned skin pulled over full cheeks and a fuller mouth stretched thin over crooked teeth, I came to notice how truly different it was here. He had thick eyebrows hanging low over expressive brown eyes that just radiated warmth, but I could see his cheeks and his smile and his ears! I was practically giddy with inappropriate glee. If Klana saw me now, she'd be punishing me for every wicked thought.

But she wasn't here, and I was, and despite that sadness that wrought me at the thought, I couldn't help but crack a secret, private grin of my own under all my layers, indulging myself.

I almost giggled, but hastily stopped them from escaping.

I swished my eyes to the others, all moaning and groaning about the heat and padding along while fanning themselves with a hand. They all wore shorts and t-shirts, some even stripping their chests bear and leaving me with a blush. A couple were joking through heavy breaths, a punch on the shoulder here in jest or a helping hand over a particularly cumbersome boulder there. I watched the actions with want, hypersensitive to the light cloth clinging to my calves and brushing against my thighs with the wind.

Licking my lips, my tongue met the cloying cloth hanging in front of my mouth and over my nose and I remembered my place.

I rolled my shoulder back with a pop, smooth cloth rippling around my form, before fixing my head dress. The man was still nervously teetering from foot to foot, waiting on my answer despite everyone else slowly disappearing into the trees. He was waiting for my reply, but I took my sweet time, a teasing smile gracing my features. Not that he could tell, but still I was going to savor my first interaction. It was… special.

I saw one participant, bulging with unrealistic muscle mass, sigh and sit down for a break. He soon whittled away into sleep causing me to snort in my mind.

But the smiling man's attention never strayed from me, patient in its intent.

Why was he so set on me, I wondered. Why didn't he walk west like the others, silent and steady?

A group passed us, this one containing a man who leaned over to rustle a large hand through a brunette woman's hair affectionately. I searched their motions with longing rearing back to the surface. Hair fluttering unrestricted in the wind and the open touch amongst each other. I smiled.

I think I could find it in myself to love this place and its freedoms, even if it wasn't home.

I felt emboldened by that.

Pulling down the thin scarf from my mouth, I said with a wry grin, "It's rude to ask about me when we haven't even exchanged names, Gadjo." And then, without fixing the orange thing back in place, I continued off into the tree line, keeping my eye on the sun to stay in the right direction. I tapped the muscled man on the shoulder, and he woke with a jolt before falling to the ground. He glared at me, muttering under his breath, before settling back in to rest.

I just shook my head.

Head west, they had said, if you want to reach the exam. Just keep moving west.

The snapping of branches and sound of scurrying feet followed behind me and I knew that the jolly man was the cause.

"Turnip! My name is Turnip!"

My feet faltered in their steady step enough for me to crash face first into the ground. With a groan, I spit out detritus from my mouth, however the sound soon turned into a bellowing laugh. It thundered, deep and sultry from my lips with the consistency of galloping horses stitched together by bouts of breathlessness when my side began to hurt with strain.

The man, Turnip I now knew if my guffaws had anything to say about it, waited patiently with a small smile still alighting his face, but I couldn't stop even when my mind went hazy from lack of air.

"Oh my gosh!" I squeaked, rolling around in the dead leaves. "Turnip! What a fun name that is… Turnip!" Wheezing, breathy laughter followed soon after as tears sprung to my eyes, and I didn't even care that he saw them. Hell, let him see! This is me, and I am laughing because the name T-T-Tur-

"Turnip!" I squealed out again to a peal of laughter.

There was no way that could be his name. What parent would ever name their child after produce, out of everything in the world? But the man made no move to stop my laughs or tell me it was a joke.

As my breath returned to me and the humid air refilled my lungs happily like a balloon, I found the strength to climb shakily to my feet, eyes betraying my utter and complete humor with a sparkle. There was a flush to my skin that wasn't previously present, despite the heat, and it warmed me up into something more comfortable. I felt bolder and more at ease with this silly man with a silly name.

When Turnip didn't mention anything about my laughter or my pulled down scarf, a roguish smile clawed onto my lips. When Turnip didn't scowl or admonish me for that either, my heart felt like soft clouds, floating freely in the wind.

Maybe, just maybe, I could find a new home in this place.

Shifting to rip down my yellow head dress from my shoulders, and in consequence allowing the orange one to pool around my shoulders, I smoothly grabbed Turnip's hand and wrapped it with mine within the folds, bending to kiss the silky cloth bundled up both our arms. It was a whim really, but I was too happy to have my first true conversation after days of solitude.

"Well then, Turnip," another giggle from me, brash and crashing into the air, "You may call me Ruv."

Turnip, for all that he was worth, took all my actions in stride and pleasantly ignored my rudeness. Instead he said cheerily, "You're quite informal for a Kushani, aren't you?"

Tilting my head to the side, my smile faltered for a moment. My eyes warily searched his face, looking for what I wasn't sure. Recognition maybe? Judgement? Maybe I should have bought different clothes to blend it, but I hadn't thought that anyone would recognize my heritage, as obscure as Krushani were. I was a fool to think that no one would realize it in such a prestigious exam.

I almost cursed under my breath, but dispelled the words with a forced sigh. I willed my shoulders to relax and let go of the tension building in them.

"You know of the desert customs then, Turnip?" I popped his name in my mouth and closed it quickly to stem the ensuing giggles. Once again, if the smiling man was offended he hid it well, something I could admire to be honest.

"Even if I didn't know them, I'd say you were quite a different one, Ruv-san. Not much is known about them aside from their secluded nature."

My bellowing laugh broke free from my teeth once more as I unwound our hands with a slight whisper of cloth. Only, my laugh wasn't hearty and warm like the previous bouts. They were too loud, too harsh. I hastily retracted my suddenly sweaty hand in fear that he could feel the fear plastered to my skin, but his face hasn't changed and Turnip didn't look as if he suspected anything, so I brushed it off fervently. I was determined to not think into it.

I bothered not to wrap the thing around my head again, seeing as Turnip had already seen my face and hair through the consequence of my actions. The moisture in the air had made it stuffy with it on, anyway, I conceded in excuse.

I shook out curling, blonde locks from my sweaty scalp and sighed with contentment as the soft scent of my shampoo mingled in the air as wind played with the short tresses. It was a liberating feeling and I relished in it. I relished in the way his eyes followed the strands of hair down to where they sat just below my shoulder before meeting my eyes again.

We had started walking again, head dress tied around my waist as a sash and scarf loosely wrapped around my throat.

"I admit, I'm surprised that…" Turnip began but faltered.

"I'm a girl?" I chirped happily, no offense in my tone. Besides, my clothes were definitely far from orthodox Krushani clothes and the looseness of my shirt surely hid any hint of curves I may possess. Which was not a lot, mind you.

His infallible smile turned nervous.

I smirked back at him and winked, pale grey eye disappearing for a second with the gesture before alighting on him with mirth. "I like the male's garb much more than I do the dresses we traditionally wear," I muttered slowly, hopping languidly over a boulder. I marveled at the sturdiness of the ground and how it didn't sift underfoot like the sand from home. More and more things that amazed me despite their simplicity.

"And you aren't going to put your scarves back on?"

I blinked with hesitant surprise as the blush crawled up my neck and onto my suddenly stoic face. Did he ask because he knew the consequence of an exposed face in my culture? Was he asking because he knew that Krushani never left the deserts unless…

I answered with as much neutrality as I could, eyes narrowing into something a little harder. "There's no reason. I'm not all that interested in custom and the sun here isn't low enough to be of consequence," I half-whispered anxiously.

A momentarily awkward silence befell us before I chuckled again, murmuring his name under my breath. I did it partially to dispel the tension and partially because the simple feel of the words falling from my lips without being muffled from the word was almost sinful. My eyes scrunched up in happiness and my mouth twitched into place right with it.

Turnip didn't ask about the scarves or my culture again, and I mentally thanked him for that, instead focusing my efforts to walk steadily through the thickening forest.

Little by little, more slumbering bodies were presented to me along the path and each one I tapped lightly on the shoulder to wake them up. In my opinion I was doing them a favor, but most didn't seem to think that way and swore at me heartily.

I shrugged mentally. Their loss was my gain.

It took another half hour, if the sun's path was anything to go by, for Turnip to speak up again.

"So can I know now? Why you want to be a hunter?" he asked casually, though I could sense some deeper questioning in his tone. His voice too, I just realized, was light and happy just as was his smile. Maybe that's how he kept pulling answers from my lips despite all the questions. No matter what he asked, how intrusive it was, I couldn't help but feel at ease.

I didn't stop this time and simply trudged onward, pulling a branch aside so the taller man could walk past without it swatting at his chest.

I shrugged at his question and answered, "Don't really know." I flinched as a particular branch I missed streaked across my face and bit into my cheek. It smarted a little, but it was of no consequence so I continued along without hurry. A feather soft growl burbled from my lips however when it tangled into my pale hair.

"You really don't have a reason?" Turnip queried, surprised. A quick glance over my shoulder told me that he was confused, wide eyes practically shouting it out loud for everyone to hear.

My thin lips curled into a smirk and my eyes squinted, directing upward to the sky as if in thought. "Umm… I suppose I've always wanted to see the ocean? Hunters get to travel everywhere, correct?" I said nonchalantly.

I laughed even more when he looked concerned at my answer, like I was crazy. Maybe I was, joining in this so-called Hunter Exam due to petty annoyance. But what else was I to do?

"To be honest," I started, catching his attention away from the shadow-speckled ground, "they told me I couldn't, so I'm here to prove I can. No other reason."

When I left the desert I left everything behind except for my pride. It was the only thing I had left and I refused to let it be lost to my mistakes as well.

My pretty smile, toothy and probably a little too big for my face, transformed into something predatory, and I saw the appreciation rise in Turnip's own gaze.

He nodded, and the rest of the trek was made in relative silence until the sun threatened to fall below the trees and bugs began to chirp.

After a while I licked my lips and pressed the cool lip of my canteen to them, sloshing the water around my dry mouth and spitting it out before taking a true sip. Small gulps, don't waste it, you don't know how much farther you've to walk, this is nothing compared to Kushana.

Turnip mentioned off-handedly that all the people sleeping on the ground unworthy of becoming hunters. Something about persistence and stamina, but I was too busy lost within my mind to truly pay attention.

Three days ago I was still surrounded by desert, jailed by sun and eternal sand, relatively happy with being a sister of the Krushani tribe, misplaced as I was. The ruthless sun was an ever present companion during our days and one had to stay covered head to toe to prevent the painful burning of the skin. Women, especially, were encouraged to hide their bodies from the sun's leering rays so to stay pure.

And now, here I was in the forest, in the main land after crossing sand and sea and land to whimsically take an exam out of pure pride. My head dress was all but discarded and my face bear to all who was willing to witness it. I had never felt so naked, but I had also never felt so free. I also had never felt so lost.

So much can change in three days, I realized bitterly.

I knew I would never regret my actions, but I couldn't be certain I wouldn't regret leaving home and that fear clenched at my heart painfully.

I suspected that Turnip could sense my turmoil, but the man said nothing and allowed me peace. He was definitely a weird one, and even as culturally estranged as I was I could tell. However, I was grateful for his presence all the same. Three days is a long time to be left to oneself.

The entire trek was seven hours and eighteen minutes with possibly forty-six seconds, give or take, if the sun spoke true. We arrived to a small wooden boat floating serenely in a river. No rope tying it to shore was in sight, but the vessel made no move to wander away.

I wasn't an expert on water, but I was pretty positive that rivers don't just sit as glassy smooth as this one with no discernable current. But who was I to judge? I spent all my seventeen years in a desert, after all.

I squinted past the blinding sun as it sunk lower and lower. I could maybe see a figure, lounging on the worn deck and sitting entirely still. A small line protruded from the silhouette and stretched straight and true into the water. I stalked closer, careful and silent in my steps and very aware that this might be a trick.

Unfortunately my attempt was ruined when a finger tapped my shoulder, causing me to jump straight up with a loud squeak. I turned a smoldering glare on Turnip who didn't even have the decency to look sheepish.

"Welcome to the 293rd Hunter Exam, Ruv-san. Gon here will be showing you the rest of the way. I wish you luck!"

His words echoed around me as I watched with wide eyes as a tall, lanky man with shining black hair appeared behind him before their bodies disappeared in a column of dark smoke.

I whipped my orange scarf back over my mouth to prevent inhaling any of it, but still ended up coughing, curses lacing the violent noise.

"Oh! Wow that was fast!" I heard a chipper voice call from behind me. "I wasn't expecting anyone until tomorrow!"

Stumbling away from the gas, I quickly zipped up towards the boat where the figure was now standing. I assumed he was the one addressing me, seeing as no one else was around.

"Wha- _hack_ -What the fuck was that!" I screeched angrily with a twitch of my eye brow. The person on the boat only laughed with good humor and extended a hand I could barely see through the tears building in my eyes. They stung pretty badly, and it took all my will power to hold them back from falling.

In a bad mood, I slapped the hand from my face and climbed onto the boat myself, shaking it and disturbing the water with my wracking coughs.

"Hey, are you ok?" came the voice again, concern drowning out my anger.

With a wheeze, I nodded, watching as my pale gold hair flopped around me. My eyes widened in alarm.

Scrambling backwards to press my body against the side of the dingy, my deft hands plucked my head dress from around my waist and rapidly hooded my face with it. The boy standing in front of me—man maybe? He appeared to be around my age at least—didn't look offended at all. He was smiling, but I was suddenly wary of those who smiled.

What the heck had Turnip done?

"Oh, don't mind Turnip and Sherry, those two were just weeding out the contestants," the guy said, big eyes still wide with friendliness. I let the information sink in, frowning when it hit me that the man I had been walking with and talking to for the past couple hours was _testing_ me.

The boy in front of me, green hair spiking up high into the air unlike anything that was possible, continued talking without hesitance. "I'm actually surprised you got here so fast! They told me it might be a few days before they got here," he chuckled. "My name is Gon, by the way."

I examined the kid, he was definitely my age or close I decided, and took in the light green shorts and shirt. Behind him, resting on the boat's side, was a long fishing pole with the bait still bobbing merrily away in the water. Nothing was biting.

"Ruv," I croaked, throat sore from coughing. If I ever saw Turnip again, I was going to give him a piece of my mind. I wasn't too keen on being lied to.

"Cool! Well, I'm here to take you to the venue, Ruv, so just sit back and relax!"


End file.
